Friday, December 12, 2008

Time Will Tell

It will be some time before we know if this new pollution control plan that was approved today by the California Air Resources Board—as reported by the Los Angeles Times—is one that also fulfills the rosy economic goals proponents say it will; though many of the economists who have examined it say it won’t.

As one who hopes for the best, let’s hope the CARB is right, on both projections.

“The bold move by the world’s eighth-largest economy would cut the state’s emissions by 15% over the next 12 years. It lays out targets for virtually every sector of the economy, from electrical plants and automobiles to landfills and city planning. And it amounts to an average cut of four tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases for every person in the state.

"We have laid out a path that, if followed, can transform our economy and put us on the road to a healthier state," said Mary Nichols, the head of the state Air Resources Board. "The task of coping with global warming is not something California can do alone and not something that will be finished in 2020. It is something our children and grandchildren will have to cope with as well. But if use this road map, we are putting California on the right track to transform our economy in a way that is good for our environment, for our health, for our future."

“The blueprint, which would be implemented over the next two years, puts California at the forefront of national climate policy at a time when President-elect Barack Obama has vowed to push ahead with national efforts to control emissions.”

This blog is part of the ongoing work of the American River Parkway Preservation Society to provide public education and advocacy around public policy issues that may be related to the Parkway and the adjacent communities along the American River in Sacramento, California.